Carbon dioxide refrigerating unit



Aug. 17, 1937. Q A CLARKE 2,U90,59U

CARBON DIOXIDE REFRIGERATING UNIT Filed March 24, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet lINVENTORv 7, 1937. c. A. CLARKE 2,090,590

CARBON DIOXIDE REFRIGERATING UNIT Filed March 24, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2I I i I l J INVENTOR. maxzwu Patented Aug. 17 1937 CARBON DIOXIDEREFRIGERATING UNIT Charles A. Clarke, New

one-half to Norman .Application March 24,

' 8 Claims.

My invention relates to a refrigerating cooling unit and refers moreparticularly to a refrigerating unit that uses carbon dioxide as acooling agent.

One object of my invention is to provide a cooling unit that can beplaced in a conventional refrigerator and maintain the desiredtemperature by the use of carbon dioxide ice.

Another object of my invention is to provide a 10 refrigerator coolingunit that cools the refrigerator by means of carbon dioxide ice andfreezes a multiple of ice cubes and/or ice cream or the like.

A further object of my invention is to provide a refrigerator coolingunit that automatically maintains a desired temperature so constructedthat the whole device is but the assembly of a group of inexpensiveelements or parts, that puts it within the reach of all.

One feature of my invention is to provide a refrigerator unit whereincarbon dioxide ice is enclosed in a perforated insulated covering andheld or supported centrally within an inner container with a multiple ofperforations therein, which container is enclosed by another thirdcontainer that also encloses a fourth container made integral with theinner container, the inner container provided with a detachable door andthe fourth container provided with means slidably holding one or moreice cube trays, the third container having an outlet provided with anadjustable temperature controlling devise.

Another feature of my invention isto provide a refrigerating unitadapted to hold carbon dioxide ice in such a manner that the sublimatedcarbon dioxide gas is circulated around the carbon dioxide ice in threeseparate independent circulations superimposed upon and arranged aroundeach other.

Another valuable feature of my invention is to provide a refrigeratingunit with three separate gas circulations and a multiple of finsarranged around the outside of the unit.

A further valuable feature of my invention is to provide a refrigeratorunit with three superimposed gas circulations, the first circulatingaround carbon dioxide ice arranged within an enclosure that is not gastight, the second circulation being around the first enclosure that isarranged within a container provided with a dc tachable door andperforations communicating with a; third circulation within a finnedcontainer arranged around the second and also around an enclosureadapted to slidably hold one or more York, N. Y., assignor of Paul,Brooklyn, N. Y.

1937, Serial No. 132,716

ice cube trays therein, the finned container provided .with atemperature controlled outlet.

I attain these objects preferably by the meansv illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. wherein similar numerals refer to like partsthroughout the several views, in which:

Figure 1 is a partial longitudinal section of the device.

Figure 2 is a front view with the door removed. Figure 3 is a.diagrammatic view of the circulation.

Figure 4 is an isometric view of the support for the carbon dioxide ice.

The device consists of a front frame I, with openings 2 and 3, for theice cube drawers 4 and 5, and an opening 6, with four pair of ears I, 8,9 and ill, carrying the eyebolts H, l2, l3 and it, that are providedwith locking nuts l5, IE, IT and I8, which eyebolts are pivoted in thecars by the pivots i9, 20, 2! and 22, and are used to removably hold thedoor 23, that is provided with four projecting slotted ears, slidablyengageable with said eyebolts, two of which are shown in Figure 1 by 24and 25 and this door 23, is detachably held by these eyebolts in gasseal to the carbon dioxide ice chamber 32, by the washer 2B.

This front frame I, is provided with a boss 21, for holding a safetydevice 28, communicating with the inside of the carbon dioxide icecontainer 32, said safety device having a body 29, that is screwed tothe boss 21, and this body carries a screw cap 30, for holding anexplosion disc 3!, made of any suitable material and of any suitablethickness, so that when the pressure exceeds that to which the disc 3|will hold, the disc will break and release the pressure within thechamber 32, which pressure might occur but is not'likely to, thuspreventing an explosion.

There is another boss 33, arranged upon this frame l, for holding anadjustable gas release or temperature control 34, that is comprised of abody 35, communicating with the space 36, by

' the opening 3'8, shown in Figure l. v

This gas release or temperature control 34, is provided with a taperedcook 38, with a split extension 39, to which is fixed one end of abimetal helix 50, of suitable construction and proportion the other end4!, connected to a gear as, that is adapted to position the bimetalhelix 00, by means of the pinion 43, and handle M, so that when thetemperature of the refrigerator reaches the desired point, the bimetalhelix will moveand open the valve 38, thus releasing the gas pressure.

The back piece 45, holds, together with the front piece I, a rectangulartube 46, provided with a multiple of holes 41 to 52 inclusive, thatcommunicated with the gas space 36.

5 Directly below this rectangular box or tube 46, is a space 53 enclosedin gas seal by the wall 54, clearly shown in Figure 3, within whichspace 53, are slidably arranged the ice cube drawers 4 and 5.

Outside of this space 36, is an enclosure 55, that carries all aroundthe enclosure the cooling fins 56 to 69 inclusive.

The carbon dioxide ice 10, shown in Figures 2 and 3, is enclosed in aninsulated cover 1|, that is not gas tight, and this carbon dioxide icetogether with the insulated cover I I, is supported in the chamber 32,by the support 12, shown in Figure 4, which support is provided with amultiple of legs four of which are shown in Figure 4, by the numerals 13to 16 inclusive and to this support is fixed an insulated piece 11, bythe rivets 18 to 8| inclusive, so that when the carbon dioxide ice withits insulated enclosure II, is supported by the support 12, the gassublimated from the carbon dioxide ice ID, will circulate around the icewithin the enclosure H and outside the closure within the box 32,through a multiple of holes 82, 83 and 84, shown in Figure 2, in thedirection of the arrows shown in Figures 2 and 3, or through theopenings that may be in a covering that is not gas tight, such as paperor the like.

The gas, after circulating as aforesaid, passes through the openings 41to 52 inclusive, in box 46, into and around the space 36, and around thespace 53, adjacent to the space 32, finally passing through thetemperature control valve 34.

It is obvious that the space 53, will be cooled twofold, first, byconvection from the bottom wall of the box 46, of the chamber 32, andsecondly,

from the cool gas that passes around the chamber in the space 36, byconvection through the wall 54, and that the refrigerator will be cooledby the cooling of the fins 56 to 69 inclusive and the ends I and 45 ofthe device and that the control of the temperature of the refrigeratorby the fins and the device body, will be con-- trolled by controllingthe sublimation of the carbon dioxide ice by the opening and closing ofthe control valve 34.

It is further obvious that with the front I, back 45, cover 23, controlunit 34, safety device 28 made of die castings, the box or chamber 46,enclosures 54 and 55, can be cheaply and easily 55 attached together ingas seal with the front I and back 45, and that the fins 56 to 69inclusive cheaply stamped out and attached in close contact with theenclosure 55 and that the support 12, and the ice cube drawers 4 and 5,can be 60 cheaply stamped out of aluminum or the like,

so that the whole device can be made inexpensive and sold within themeans of all.

Furthermore this device can be placed in any conventional refrigeratoror place, supply ice cubes or supply ice cubes and ice cream, etc.simultaneously, while at the same time will cool the ice box, with theuse of no machinery or have any moving parts to wear out, no water tomop up or drain away and it can be operated for a few cents a day, onlyrequiring to be serviced once a week.

Having thus illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, I do not wish to limit myself to the exact construction orarrangements of parts shown, as it is evident that modifications may bemade therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or scopeof the claims.

I claim:-

1. The combination in a refrigerating unit of a carbon dioxide icechamber, a detachable cover therefor, an ice tray chamber thereunder,means in said ice tray chamber slidably holding an ice tray, an icetray, 2, ribbed casing adapted to utilize the refrigerating effect ofgases from said ice chamber, said casing spaced from said chamber andpartially enclosing the said chambers providing a space therearound, aninlet from the carbon dioxide ice chamber to said space, and an outletfrom. said space to the atmosphere.

2. The combination in a refrigerating unit of a carbon dioxide icechamber, a detachable cover thereupon, a sealing gasket for the saidcover, detachable clamping means for said cover, an ice tray thereunder,means in said ice tray chamber slidably holding an ice tray, a casingwith a plurality of ribs thereupon adapted to rapidly utilize therefrigerating effect of gas from said ice, said casings spaced from saidchambers and partially enclosing the said chambers providing a spacetherearound, a plurality of inlets from the carbon dioxide ice chamberto said space, and an outlet from said space to the atmosphere remote tosaid inlet.

3. The combination in a refrigerating unit of a carbon dioxide icechamber, a detachable cover thereupon, a sealing gasket therefor,detachable clamping means for said cover, an ice tray chamberthereunder, means in said ice tray chamber slidably holding a pluralityof ice trays, a casing spaced from said chambers partially enclosing thesaid chambers providing a space therearound, a plurality of finsintegral with said casing, adapted to rapidly utilize the refrigeratingeffect of. the gas from, the said ice chamber, an inlet from the carbondioxide chamber to the said space and an outlet from said space to theatmosphere remote to said inlet.

4. The combination in a refrigerating unit of a carbon dioxide icechamber, a detachable cover thereupon, a sealing gasket for the saidcover, detachable clamping means for the said cover, an ice tray chamberthereunder, means in said ice tray chamber slidably holding a pluralityof ice trays, a plurality of ice trays, a casing spaced from saidchambers partially enclosing said chambers providing a spacetherearound, a plurality of fins arranged upon said casing adapted torapidly utilize the refrigerating effect of the gas Sublimated in thesaid ice chamber, an inlet from the carbon dioxide ice chamber to saidspace, and an adjustable outlet from said space to the atmosphere,

5. The combination in a refrigerating unit of a carbon dioxide icechamber, a detachable cover thereupon, a sealing gasket for the saidcover, detachable clamping means for the said cover, an

ice tray chamber thereunder, said ice chamber and ice tray chamberintegral with each other, means in said ice tray chamber holding aplurality of ice trays, a plurality of ice trays, a casing spaced fromsaid chambers partially enclosing said chambers providing a spacetherearound, a plurality of fins arranged upon said casing, adapted toutilize the refrigerating effect of gas sublimated in said ice chamber,an inlet from the carbon dioxide ice chamber to the said space and atemperature controlled outlet from said space to the atmosphere.

6. The combination in a refrigerating unit of a carbon dioxide icechamber, an insulated enclosure with perforations therein holding carbondioxide ice, means supporting said insulated enclosure and ice, adetachable cover thereupon, a sealing gasket for said cover, detachableclamping means for said cover, an ice tray chamber thereunder, said icechamber and ice tray chamber integral with each other, means in said icetray chamber holding an ice tray, a casing provided with a multiple ofoutwardly projecting fins and spaced from said chambers, partiallyenclosing same providing a space ther'earound, and

inlets from the carbon dioxide ice chamber to i said space, and anadjustable temperature controlled valve attached to said outlet remotefrom I ber, a detachable cover on said chamber, a gasket andclampingmeans for the cover, an ice tray chamber integral thereunder, aplurality of ice trays, a ribbed casing around said chambers ardioxideice which comprises placing the ice"in a perforated insulated containerin spaced relation to another container, causing gas sublimated fromsaid ice to pass slowly from said perforated container into andaroundsaid second container, causing said gas to pass around anenclosing space partially surrounding the said second mentionedcontainer, and causing said gas to pass through a temperaturecontrolling device, said circulation being caused by natural convection.

CHARLES A. CLARKE.

